Australian Alps National Parks

The present paper was commissioned by the Australian Alps Liaison Committee. They believed that a detailed and comprehensive assessment was needed to determine if the Australian Alps are qualified for international recognition, and, if so, to determine at what level and for what reasons.

In an era of climate change, deforestation and massive habitat loss, we can no longer rely on parks and protected areas as isolated 'islands of wilderness' to conserve and protect vital biodiversity. Increasing connections are being considered and made between protected areas and 'connectivity' thinking has started to expand to the regional and even the continental scale to match the challenges of conserving biodiversity in the face of global environmental change.